Handle



Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT u OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention has relation to` the manufacture of handles for knives, forks, spoons, and other hand tools. An object of the invention is to provide a handle composed mainly of a transparent material covering a design which is added to the handle as an ornamentation to increase the attractiveness of the handle, or other designs such as trade-marks, trade names, advertisement, or other matter may be employed.

Another object of the invention is to produce a strong and durable handle in which the design covered or embedded can be easily seen through the transparent covering plates, and being so covered or embedded within the handle,'the design or other matter will not wear away.

Heretofore it has been proposed toemploy transparent plates covering printing or the like to form a handle, and in known prior instances the plates are secured in an ordinary or conventional Way to the tang of a knife blade or other operative member of a hand tool, by means of rivets which are conspicuous so as to mar the appearance of the handle, and thereby destroy the effect sought to be obtained by addition of the design.

Furthermore, the transparent plates employed, were preferably made of a composition such as celluloid or other non-breakable material which is apt to warp when the tool is placed in hot water. With the present invention the transparent plates are held securely by improved non-conspicuous means which also tend to keep the plates from warping, and this may be considered as being the salient feature of the present invention.

An embodiment of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete knife having the improvements;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a knife blade having an extended tang;

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the handle plates;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a cut out strip of material on which a design or other matter is printed or otherwise placed thereon, and

Figure 7 is a plan View showing a fragment of a knife blade with a modified form of tang.

Referring to said drawing, I is a knife blade having a tang 2 and 3 is the handle secured to said tang. The handle is built up by means of the transparent plates 4 secured on both sides of the tang 2 by means of rivets 5 and 8. Reinforcement plates 6 are located at the butt end of the handle by the rivets 5 and similar plates l are secured at the other end of the handle by the rivets 8. The plates 6 and 1 serve as reinforcements and permit the drawing together of the plates 4 soI that they are tightly held in close contact with the inserted strips 9 which are placed between the inner surfaces of the plates 4 and the tang 2. These inserted strips 9 have printed or 10 placed thereon a design or other matter l0.

I n assembling the improved handle the strips 9 are secured to the tang 2 with the printed or prepared surfaces facing outwardly. These strips 9 can be composed of paper and then a suitable 15 cement must be employed for securing said strips to the metal tang, and also` the cement must have an affinity with the substance used for the plates 4 so as to permit securing of said plates to the strips 9. Plates 4 are preferably of a cellulose 20 material, and it is found in practice the strips 9 should with advantage be made of same material as the outer plates 4.

In order to insure close adherence of the handle plates or sheets to the metal tang to prevent en- 25 trance and accumulation of matter under said plates it is proposed to employ cement as an additional securing means for said plates and perforate the tang 2 with holes l l or openings l2. The purpose of these holes or openings is to allow the 30 same to receive cement which will fill said holes or openings and thereby provide a homogeneous connection between the plates on both sides of the tang. It will be understood that this method of uniting the plates can best be used when the 35 covering plates and the intermediate sheets or strips are composed of the same substance, celluloid for example which is found to be suitable material to use. This method of uniting the plates can also be used with advantage when the inter- 40 mediate sheets Il] are eliminated and the design or other matter is printed or otherwise placed directly on the inner surface of the covering plates 4.

The end or reinforcing plates 6 and 1 can be 45 made of different designs both as regards shape and ornamentation so as to provide handle end reinforcements of attractive appearance. These plates 6 and 'l are seated in recessed ends I3 of the plates 4 so as to lie flush with the surface 50 of the latter plates.

It is obvious with use of part of the present invention the covering plates 4, may be composed of an opaque material. Other modifications may be made in carrying out the details of the inven- 55 tion hereinbefore described, and it is to be understood that any modication coming fairly Within the terms of the appended claims shall be covered thereby.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture of the class described comprising a blade or operative member, a tang extending from said member, a handle composed of a pair of covering plates secured one on each side of said tang, said tang extending the full length of said handle, means for securing "said covering plates to said tang, said means comprising retaining plates being seated in recessed ends a tang extending from said member, a` handle composed of a pair of covering plates secured one on each side of said tang, said tang extending the full length of said handle, means for securing said covering plates to said tang, said means comprising retaining plates being seated in recessed ends of said covering plates, all of said plates being secured at each end to said tang by rivets passing therethrough and said covering plates being composed of transparent plastic material covering and exposing advertising matter thereunder.

3. An article Aof manufacture of the class described Acomprising a blade, a tang extending from said blade, a handle composed of transparent plates secured at each side of said tang,

said tang extending the full length of said handle,

' `advertising matter borne by an inserted strip or l recessed `ends of said covering plates.

CARL H. HEMMING. 

